Despite several fashion chains struggling to keep afloat amid growing pressures in the retail sector, almost half of independent high street businesses see their future as “booming”, according to a new report.

Dutch fashion retailers are showing better results after a number of hard years. Chains are benefitting from the Netherlands’ economic recovery and reaping the rewards of adapting to changing consumer behaviour.

Marking the biggest sales dip in 11 months, US consumer spending cooled off in the first quarter, following the holiday season's strong showing. Year-over-year data, however, shows a healthy uptick of 5.4 percent.

JD.com Inc said on Wednesday it had raised $2.5 billion for its logistics arm, as the second-largest Chinese e-commerce firm seeks to further bolster its position in online retail in its home country and beyond.

One of Walmart's best chances at taking on Amazon are 6 giant server farms, which cost millions of dollars and took nearly 5 years to build. The retailer's recent results show the effort is finally starting to pay off.